Opinion: Futuristic X-planes are coming soon to an airport near you

NASA is working with private companies to develop the next generation of airplanes

NASA/Boeing

By

JuricaDujmovic

Columnist

Do you think commercial airplane technology hits its apogee with the Dreamliner?

The Boeing
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jet, which can top $300 million apiece, is certainly amazing. But NASA’s aeronautical innovators are once again preparing to push the envelope of aircraft design with an array of new, experimental models dubbed X-planes.

Many of the planes will burn half the fuel and generate 75% less pollution than current counterparts. They’ll also be less loud.

All of this is part of the “New Aviation Horizons” initiative, announced this February as part of President Obama’s budget request for the new fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The initiative outlines a 10-year plan during which NASA Aeronautics will design, build and finally launch a number of experimental planes.

By doing so, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration hopes to reduce the time needed for private industry to adopt the new technology and apply it to commercial models.

The upgrades are substantial, from the materials used to create aircraft structures and advanced fan design that can reduce noise and improve propulsion, to special coatings that prevent bug buildup on the wings.

Let’s take a look at a few potential models:

An upcoming X-plane may be a hybrid wing body aircraft concept that has turbofan engines on top of its back end. The engines are flanked by two vertical tails that serve to muffle noise.

Lockheed Martin

A preliminary aircraft design contract has been awarded by NASA to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. of Palmdale, Calif. (a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp.
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). The plane could significantly reduce the volume of sonic booms, which are associated with the shock waves created by an airplane traveling faster than the speed of sound. Hence, it could usher in an era of quiet and more affordable supersonic travel.

NASA

A truss-braced wing concept (see photo, above) could become a part of a subsonic X-plane in the near future. The supported wing structure, which is being developed cooperatively by Boeing and NASA, works toward reducing fuel burn and carbon emissions by 50% over current technology of transport aircraft, and from 4%-8% compared with conventional wings without braces. The results are achieved by reducing the weight of the wing and making it longer. To add support, a low-drag brace is attached to it.

Nasa

Not all innovations come from physical models and prototypes; many start as computer simulations, like the visual representation of the supercomputer simulation, above.

The swirly image depicts the flow of air around the blades of a turbofan jet engine, and the coloration shows the direction of air particles. Simulations have proven to match real-world testing results and are used to help engineers improve their designs and flight performance, reduce carbon emissions and decrease blade rotation noise.

Finally, some innovations and changes will be executed in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, airports and airline companies. They will aim to improve aircraft positioning to reduce delays, fuel use and noise.

These innovations alone could save the airline industry a massive $255 billion in the first 25 years of their use.

If everything goes according to plan, the improvements will be implemented into fully functional X-planes, most of which are roughly half the size of production-ready aircraft. Should funding goals be met, the first X-plane will take to the skies around 2020.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing these sci-fi-like aircraft. How about you? Please let me know in the comment section below.

Jurica Dujmović is a web designer and freelance journalist who lives in Drniš, Croatia. He can be reached at jurica@brandmanager.com.hr or via Twitter @JDBrandManager.

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